Rare, complex delivery and operation saves newborn

A multidisciplinary team of physicians recently performed the first “ex utero intrapartum treatment” or “EXIT” procedure at UNMC’s hospital partner, The Nebraska Medical Center.

Thanks to the innovative “EXIT” procedure, Haylee Hanson was safely delivered on July 29, despite having a large tumor in her mouth that blocked her airway.

The procedure successfully secured an airway for a baby girl with a benign tumor in her mouth before fully delivering the infant by Cesarean section.

Only about 100 cases of the “EXIT” procedure have been documented in the United States.

EXIT is an innovative procedure developed to deliver infants with severe congenital abnormalities.

During EXIT, the newborn is partially delivered by a C-section, but the umbilical cord supplying oxygen from mother to baby is not immediately cut.

The full story Read a full account of this harrowing operation.

Next — a breathing tube is inserted through the mouth or nose into the windpipe. Finally, the delivery of the infant is completed and the cord cut only after a clear airway has been established.

A few days after the baby’s birth, a second operation was performed to remove the benign tumor from the girl’s mouth.